What Conditions Are Needed for Growing Lemons? A Full Analysis of Key Points
SummaryPlot: Choose fertile, deep, wind-sheltered and sun-facing flat land with convenient transport and good drainage, or gentle slopes or high-bank paddy fields for planting. Seedling cultivation: sow before the Beginning of Spring, transplant to the seedbed in early to mid-May and June, and bud-graft from late November to the end of February the following year. Planting time: dig holes before early April, backfill the ponds before early May, and establish the plants in early June. Planting requirements: about 64 plants per mu at establishment.
I. Conditions for Growing Lemons
1. Planting plot
(1) Lemon is a semi-shade plant that likes warmth, tolerates shade but not cold. It originated in the lower layers of tropical forests and is suitable for growing in subtropical regions with warm winters and cool summers.
(2) It is a shrubby small tree whose branches grow without a regular pattern, and its cultivation has strict requirements for water management and soil.
(3) It is usually planted in fertile, deep, wind-sheltered and sun-facing soil with convenient transport and good drainage, at an altitude of 800-1200m, on flat land, gentle slopes or high-bank paddy fields with a slope of 30° or less.
2. Seedling cultivation
(1) The rootstock for seedling cultivation is generally wild sour citron, bitter orange, red tangerine, etc.
(2) Sow before the Beginning of Spring; after sowing, transplant to the seedbed in early to mid-May and June, and manage water and fertilizer and control pests and diseases during this period.
(3) In late November, when the rootstock trunk reaches about 0.4cm, grafting can begin; remove weeds before grafting.
(4) From late November to the end of February the following year, use bud grafting, select and keep 1-2 strong main branches, with the standard that the trunk reaches a height of 40cm for strong and large seedlings and a thickness of 0.8cm or more, and remove excess branches and buds to promote new shoot growth.
3. Planting time
(1) Lemon is an evergreen fruit tree and can be planted at will in all four seasons. As long as the root and stem parts are not excessively damaged, the planting time can also vary.
(2) Therefore, based on the growth pattern of lemons, we found that the best planting time for lemons is around early March.
(3) During this period, choose the planting site; dig holes to plant lemon seedlings before early April, backfill the ponds before early May, and finish establishment from early June to the end of June.
4. Planting requirements
(1) The planting method and density of lemons differ from other tall fruit trees. Lemon is a small tree, so follow a plant spacing of 3.0×3.5m and a pond size of about 80×70×60cm.
(2) At establishment, follow the standard of 64 plants/mu, level the slope, and when digging ponds take care to stack topsoil and subsoil separately. The subsoil is not used; when backfilling the pond, return only 30cm of mature soil, and after returning soil apply 30-50kg of base fertilizer and mix thoroughly with the soil.
(3) Then cover with a 10cm layer of mature soil, add 0.5-1kg of compound fertilizer or phosphate fertilizer, and finally return soil once more over more than 1 ㎡ to make a tree disc, preferably 20-30cm above the pond mouth.
(4) Mountain land and sandy land should be planted flat; low-lying mounded areas should be planted on mounds. At establishment, choose strong seedlings with good growth, use barnyard manure as base fertilizer at about 30-50kg per pond, mix in 0.25-0.5kg of phosphate fertilizer or compound fertilizer, mix well and backfill the pond.
(5) Carry out refined planting; when fertilizing, note that direct contact with fine roots will cause obvious root burn.
(6) Before establishment, prune away the tender branches and leaves of the lemon seedlings, thin out overly dense dry and dead branches, water thoroughly with settling water when planting on rainy days, water moderately to keep the soil surface moist, and remove the film and loosen the ties 2-3 months after the established seedlings survive.
II. Key Points
1. If citrus-type fruit trees are planted within 500 meters of a lemon orchard, they will cross-hybridize and mix flowers, reducing lemon quality;
2. Do not interplant lemons in fields of tall crops such as sorghum and rice, or interplant tall crops in lemon fields;
3. It is suitable to interplant some short crops in lemon fields, such as soybeans and peanuts, but vine crops must not be interplanted unless in rotation;
4. Keeping bees in lemon orchards is encouraged, as it helps increase the fruit-setting rate and boost yield and benefits.